New Skis, New Goggles, & Random Reviews (Ep.44)
Sam Shaheen, Luke Koppa, and Jonathan Ellsworth talk about new goggles; new skis; which ski companies made the biggest impressions on us this season; funniest answers so far to our BLISTER Survey; and more.
Avalanche Beacons & Backcountry Safety with BCA Co-Founder, Bruce Edgerly (Ep.43)
Avalanche beacons might not be sexy, but their proper use and design can be the difference between life and death. So we sat down with BCA’s co-founder, Bruce Edgerly, to talk about avalanche transceiver design, backcountry safety research, and the most important — yet often overlooked — aspects of a rescue.
New Gear + Sam’s Review of Tinder (Ep.42)
Sam Shaheen, Kristin Sinnott, and Jonathan Ellsworth talk about some of their favorite new skis, then — in what might be our most anticipated review ever — Sam Shaheen gives us his honest, in-depth, pretty hilarious, and surprisingly insightful take on the dating app, Tinder.
Trends, Favorite Gear, and Most / Least Durable Products, with Eric Helmbrecht of Powder Hound AK (Ep.41)
Alaska is a place where your gear really needs to hold up. So we talk to Eric Helmbrecht, owner of Powder Hound Ski Shop in Girdwood Alaska, about the trends he’s seeing in skiing and snowboarding; the gear with the most & least durability issues; some of his favorite gear; and more.
19/20 Apparel — Sustainability, New Tech, & the Death of Full-Zip Jackets?? (Ep.40)
We’ve been inundated at HQ with new apparel from Patagonia, Mammut, Flylow, Sole, and much more in the past few weeks. Sam Shaheen and Luke Koppa recently sat down to do their favorite thing — geek out on new apparel.
Prior Snowboards & Skis, with Dominic Morin (Ep.39)
We talk to Prior’s head snowboard and ski shaper, Dominic Morin, about the origins of Prior, their philosophy of ski and snowboard shaping, their craziest designs, their new shapes for 19/20, and the legacy of Chris Prior.
Moment Skis 19/20 Lineup (Ep.38)
We talk to Moment Skis CEO, Luke Jacobson, about next year’s lineup of skis; space movies; Ryan Gosling; Tyler Curle’s ski preferences; the “Google Bump”; and … more Ryan Gosling.
New Skis from LINE, Nordica, 4FRNT, and J Skis + a Confession & Sneak Peek (Ep.37)
We talk new skis from Line, Nordica, 4FRNT, and J Skis. Also, I share my change of heart over light skis, Luke and Sam discuss their new article on caring for your outerwear, and we give a sneak peek for our upcoming and very intimate episode of GEAR:30.
2019 Outdoor Retailer / SIA Show Highlights (Ep.36)
We just wrapped up our time at the Outdoor Retailer / SIA trade show, so five of us sat down to discuss the most interesting trends we saw, the products we were most tempted to steal, and more.
New Innovations in Bootfitting with Pulse Boot Lab (Ep.35)
Are you one of the many people who has wished that your ski boots were a bit stiffer or more comfortable? Well then listen up, because, the bootfitters at Pulse Boot Lab in Revelstoke have come up with a number of innovative ways to achieve both.
New K2 Mindbender Skis (Ep.34)
We talk to K2 ski designer, Jed Yeiser, about the 13 new skis that make up K2’s brand new “Mindbender” series.
New Skis & Outerwear (Ep.33)
We discuss the latest skis and outerwear we’re reviewing, including the Black Crows Corvus, Rossi Black Ops, Parlor Cardinal 90, Argent Skis Badger, Flylow Baker Bibs, and Patagonia Micro Puff Storm.
Romp Skis (Ep.32)
We sat down with Romp Skis founders Caleb and Morgan Weinberg to talk about their backgrounds, their approach to building “custom” skis, how they ended up building skis for the 10th Special Forces Group, and more.
“Best Of” Runner-Ups + New Skis (Ep.31)
We discuss 3 skis that very narrowly missed getting a “Best Of” selection from us, then we turn to some new skis we’ve been getting on from Folsom, Rossignol, Head, Moment, Dynastar, and more.
All That Glitters is Not Gold (Ep.30)
Not all gear is great — or even good. So today we’re discussing a number of intriguing products that turned out to disappoint.
Hoji on the Hoji Free & 4FRNT Renegade (Ep.29)
We talk with Hoji about his brand-new boot, the Dynafit Hoji Free; the differences between it and the current Hoji Pro Tour; how he’s been refining his signature ski, the 4FRNT Renegade; and his work with Arc’teryx.
Spark R&D — Part 2 (Ep.28)
We talk to Spark R&D founder, Will Ritter, about some of Spark’s current products, collaborating with CAST Touring and 22 Designs, and implementing solar power in their factory in Bozeman, Montana.
Zen & the Art of Creating the World’s Biggest Splitboard Binding Company: Will Ritter, Spark R&D (Ep.27)
We talk to Will Ritter about starting – and running – the largest splitboard binding company in the world, Spark R&D, and Will provides a number of valuable insights for anyone thinking of starting anything.
Our 18/19 Winter Buyer’s Guide & “Best Of” Awards (Ep.26)
Jonathan Ellsworth, Luke Koppa, and Sam Shaheen discuss some of the “Best Of” award winners in the 18/19 Blister Winter Buyer’s Guide.
Interbike: Confessions & Observations (Ep.25)
We discuss the weirdness and wonders of Interbike 2018, make a confession about last year’s Interbike, and more.
Parlor Skis 18/19 Lineup & ‘Build Your Own Skis’ Class (Ep.24)
We talk to Boston-based Parlor Skis co-founder, Mark Wallace, about the origins story of Parlor; their “Build Your Own Skis” class; the new models in their 18/19 lineup — including Parlor snowboards and splitboards; and several trends on the East Coast ski scene. (We also talk about lasagna, burritos, and Camaros.)
Bikes vs. Skis, Part 2 (Ep.23)
We’re back with round 2 of Bikes vs. Skis, where we ask the question, “Which particular bike company is most like which particular ski company?”
New DPS Skis & Products with Stephan Drake (Ep.22)
We talk to DPS Skis founder, Stephan Drake, about the new DPS Wailer 110; the DPS Spoon, Lotus 138, and 124; and some big news about DPS Phantom, their new ski and snowboard base treatment.
Bikes vs. Skis, Part 1 (Ep.21)
Which ski company is most like which bike company? Who is the Moment Skis of the bike world? And which ski brand shares the most family resemblance with Yeti or Transition? Jonathan Ellsworth has been having this discussion for years with Blister’s bike editor, Noah Bodman, and we’re now taking it public. So give it a listen, then let us know where you agree, where you disagree, and where you’ve got the better analogies.
Alpenglow Mtn Festival + Stuff We Learned during Spring Ski Testing (Ep.20)
We talk with Blister editors, Luke Koppa and Sam Shaheen, about the recent Alpenglow Mountain Festival and running with our hero, Courtney Dauwalter. Then we discuss some of the key takeaways from our spring ski testing, including Domino’s thin-crust pizza, dumb gear, and some great gear.
Dialing in “The Hammer” + other New Folsom Skis (Ep.19)
Jonathan Ellsworth sits down with Mike McCabe at the Folsom Skis HQ in Denver to (finally) dial in “The Hammer” they’ve been discussing, and to learn about three other brand new Folsom skis.
New Skis from Prior, Atomic, K2, and More (Ep.18)
Jonathan Ellsworth and Sam Shaheen discuss a number of skis they’ve been reviewing, including two from Prior Skis, the new Atomic Bent Chetler 100, the K2 Wayback 106, the Scott Super Guide 105, and the Salomon MTN Explore 95.
Spring Skiing & Biking in AK (Ep.17)
We talk to Eric Helmbrecht, owner of Powder Hound in Girdwood, Alaska, about spring skiing in AK, what gear works well in AK’s snowpack and terrain, what new gear he’s most intrigued by, and the growing mountain bike scene around Girdwood and Anchorage.
Touring Bindings & the New G3 Zed (Ep.16)
G3 is introducing a new touring binding — the Zed — that they’re calling the lightest fully-featured AT binding on the market. So we talk to G3’s engineers about their design philosophy and development process, current trends in AT bindings, and the compromises inherent in any AT binding.
18/19 All-Mountain & Frontside Skis (Ep.15)
We just finished testing a broad range of skis, so Blister’s Sam Shaheen, Luke Koppa, and Jonathan Ellsworth discuss a number of the highlights, including the new Atomic Bent Chetler 100, the HEAD Supershape i.Titan, a new carver from DPS, the Black Crows Orb, and what might be Jonathan’s new personal favorite from Blizzard.